SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – A Sarasota County man has been sentenced to prison after entering a plea in a child sex abuse case.
Ednaldo Souza De Almeida, 46, entered a pretrial plea March 24 to four counts of lewd or lascivious molestation involving a child younger than 12 and one count of lewd or lascivious conduct by solicitation involving a child younger than 16, according to the 12th Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office.
The judge sentenced Almeida to 50 years in prison on Counts 1 through 4 and 15 years in prison on Count 5. The court also designated him as a sexual predator.
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After his prison term, Almeida will be on lifetime sex offender probation and must have no contact with the victims, according to court documents.
The crimes happened between Oct. 1, 2021, and July 14, 2024, according to authorities. The case was investigated by Sarasota Police Department.
Detectives responded July 14, 2024, to a call involving sexual battery, according to court records. Investigators said they learned Almeida molested a family member’s 10-year-old friend while relatives and friends were gathered at his home to plan a camping trip.
That disclosure led another family member to reveal years of sexual abuse that began when she was 5 years old, according to the state attorney’s office.
Assistant State Attorneys Lissa MacDonald and Ethan Dunn said in a statement, “The two young children demonstrated great bravery and strength by disclosing what they suffered at the Defendant’s hands to Sarasota Police officers. Their bravery along with the diligent investigation efforts of the Sarasota Police Department empowered these girls to protect countless other children from this sexual predator.”
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